| #ffffff;" /> | | | | along its coils and averaging three feet in height." |
| Ohio is a Midwestern State in the United States which | | | | The Great Serpent Mound is a man made mound of |
| is also known as the Buckeye State due to the | | | | earth soil which is in the shape of a long uncoiling |
| presence of the Ohio Buckeye Tree. The Anglicized | | | | serpent stretching up to nearly a quarter of a mile. The |
| term Ohio comes from the Iroquois word "Ohi-Yo" | | | | shape of the uncoiling snake also seems to depict as it |
| which implies a great river. | | | | is about to swallow an egg-shaped oval in its open |
| The state is a pot pourri of many activities and places. | | | | mouth. The origins of this mound are said to be |
| It is truly a melting pot in every sense. The landscape in | | | | between 1000 and 1500 AD. |
| the state is the perfect lure for tourists from all parts | | | | It is generally believed that two cultures were |
| of the globe. Ohio has Lake Erie which lends a coastal | | | | responsible for the Serpent Mound. The first is the |
| feel to the place on the one hand and on the other, the | | | | Adena People who lived in this area from about the |
| Hocking Hills region offers the best opportunity for rock | | | | 6th century BC to the early 1st century AD. The |
| climbing and trekking for the nature enthusiasts. | | | | Adena had build two conical burial mounds near the |
| Ohio also has a mix of many cultures and ethnicities | | | | Serpent. But the presence of a third elliptical shaped |
| which gives it a richness which can be experienced in | | | | burial mound at the Park and a village site near the |
| the variety of cuisines and the authentic art in the area. | | | | serpent’s tail indicate towards the Fort Ancient |
| There are many places of tourist significance in the | | | | culture which existed from 1000-1550 AD. |
| state. But one of the most unique pieces of ancient | | | | A recent excavation of the Serpent Mound in 1995 |
| culture is the Great Serpent Mound. It is a 1330 foot | | | | points out that it was constructed in 1070 AD which is |
| long, three feet high pre-historic effigy mound which is | | | | the time when the Fort Ancient culture was in |
| located on the plateau of the Serpent Mound Crater. It | | | | existence. It was first surveyed and sketched in the |
| is one of those landmarks which were on the verge of | | | | 1840s and excavated by the Harvard archeologist |
| getting destroyed. It is now contained within a park and | | | | F.W.Putnam in the late 19th century. |
| is cared for by the Ohio Historical Society. The mound | | | | The purpose of building such a mound is still a mystery. |
| has been designated as a National Historic Landmark | | | | As is apparent from the excavations, it was never |
| by the United States Department of Interior. | | | | used for burials. There is a school of thought that it |
| The Great Serpent Mound was first reported in the | | | | might be an offering to the Gods, as it is obviously |
| historic volume Ancient Monuments of Mississippi | | | | higher than the ground level and is meant to be seen |
| Valley which was written by Ephraim Squire and | | | | from above. |
| Edwin Davis and published by the newly founded | | | | The coil of the Serpent is a common sacred symbol |
| Smithsonian Museum in 1848. | | | | throughout the ancient cultures and often depicts the |
| According to E.H. Roseboom & F. P. | | | | sacred forces of earth. This can also mean that the |
| Wiesenberger in their work "A History of Ohio", "The | | | | people who built the mound worshipped the Earth as |
| most famous of all such (effigy) mounds is the Great | | | | Divine Mother. |
| Serpent Mound in Adams County, 1,330 feet in length | | | | |